THE FIVE SCOOP: Tikly is Stirring Things Up in the Ticketing Business with "Less Fees, More Fun."

Work hard, be nice, have fun, and make things better. That’s the mission behind the emerging ticketing service, Tikly.

Tikly is an online ticketing service that places the ticketing experience back into the hands of the people who put on the show-- the talent & event organizer.

It is a ticketing platform that offers lower service fees, opens revenue streams for bands, venues and organizations. Tikly is free to use and there are no contractual obligations. As Founder & CEO, Emma Peterson puts it, “We believe if it’s your show, they’re your tickets. We do not want to control the artist, venue, or event organizer’s ticketing experience. We’re just here to help them sell more tickets than they would without us.”

Tikly was launched in May 2011 by Emma, who, prior to launching Tikly, worked in marketing for a video game company while touring extensively with the nationally successful band, The Nadas. After spending time on the road and working closely with artists & venues, she became frustrated with the ticketing world, and saw a need for a change in the ticketing industry. “I was inspired to launch Tikly in response to the horrible industry standards that bands, venues, & event organizers face,” she says.

“The people we work with are entrepreneurs & their fans are their clients. Greedy, third-party ticket agencies place an incredible negativity between artist & fan, venue & patron, event organizer & registrant. My goal for Tikly is to remove that barrier to entry, to make everyone happier, & create a positive experience at each step of the ticketing experience—from sign up, to event settle.”

If this sounds like a company who’s on a mission to “do good”—you’re right. The company believes that success comes from leaving a positive impression on each and every artist, venue, event & community they touch. “The ticketing industry has existed in such a negative space that it is our goal to revolutionize the attitude toward what a ticketing company can bring to an event organizer’s table,” Emma says, “We want to make sure that no one feels taken advantage of & we want to empower artists to sell directly to their fans.

Tikly is based in Des Moines, Iowa—far from the start-up hubs of Silicon Valley or New York. But Emma says she has found an incredible community around which to build Tikly, as part of a tech incubator called StartupCity. In fact, there are 25+ startups within just three blocks of Tikly. Tikly is a small, but growing concern with big dreams to “do good.” Emma says she knows what makes them successful—“Work hard, be nice, have fun, make things better.” The Tikly team is made up of Emma, Brian Hemesath (CTO), consultant Jason Walsmith and two rockstar interns who focus on design & education.

So where is Tikly headed? “It is my aim to always stay true to making sure that Tikly remains a friend of the people who really put on the show. Those who have come before us have more often than not fallen into the status quo of the industry, we will always strive to put the client first & be certain that our product does well by them.”